The Golden Warriors
by Baileyrose25
Summary: The golden warriors' legend has left it's echo amongst the Tribe of Rushing Water, and soon Cloud That Covers Sky  Cloud  is forced to uncover its secrets, and fulfill her destiny to save her tribe from ultimate doom.
1. Chapter 1 Alliances

**Tribe of Rushing Water**

Healer- Teller of Pointed Stones- dark brown tom with ragged fur and wise amber eyes (Stoneteller)

Prey Hunters-

Song of Chirping Bird- beautiful snowy white she-cat with ginger flecks and soft blue eyes (Song)

Mist That Covers Lake- silver she-cat with white and gray flecks (Mist)

River That Reflects the Moon- blue-gray tom with silver and white patches and watery blue eyes (River)

Ray of Blazing Sun- ginger tom with golden flecks and fiery golden orange eyes (Ray)

Wisp of Never-Ending Star- golden tom with white paws and a white stripe along his left side with emerald green eyes (Wisp)

Flame That Flicks Through Forest- orange she-cat with tints of ginger, gold, and brown in her fur with bright green eyes (Flame)

Cave Guards-

Meadow Where Flowers Grow- golden she-cat with white paws and sapphire eyes (Meadow)

Lightning That Breaks the Dawn- broad shouldered reddish brown tabby tom with white paws and chest and fiery amber eyes (Lightning)

Wolf That Howls at Night- big, muscular russet brown tom with piercing dark blue eyes (Wolf)

Eve That Never Casts Shadows- sleek black she-cat with silver flecks and azure eyes (Eve)

Moth that Flies Gracefully-small, slender golden tabby she-cat with brown flecks and golden eyes (Moth)

Vine That Hangs From Branch- light brown tom with dark brown flecks and paws with moss green eyes (Vine)

To-Be's-

Falcon That Soars Through Sky- golden brown tabby tom with piercing yellows eyes (Falcon) Mentor: Lightning

Light of Shining Sun- tiny golden she-cat with white paws and bright golden eyes (Light) Mentor: Ray

Cloud that Covers Sky- white she-cat with silver patches and sapphire blue eyes (Cloud) Mentor: River

Moon That Rises at Night- silver she-cat with fuzzy black tipped ears and paws with ice blue eyes (Moon) Mentor: Moth

Kit Mothers-

Star That Shines in Sky- midnight black she-cat with amber eyes (cave-guard) Mother of Wolf's kits. (Star)

Whisper of Soft Stream- fluffy silver and white dappled she-cat with lake blue eyes (prey-hunter) Will be Mother of River's kits. (Whisper)

Kits-

Clover That Dapples the Moonlight- white and brown dappled she- cat with bright blue eyes (Clover) Will be prey-hunter

Ripple in Quiet Lake- black tom with silver flecks, paws, and ears (Ripple) Will be prey-hunter

Spotted Shadows on Water- white she-cat with russet brown patches and watery blue eyes (Spotted) Will be cave-guard

Old Ones-

Tangle That Binds Rock- broad shouldered dark brown tabby tom with ragged fur and blazing amber eyes (Tangle) Former cave- guard

Flower That Glows Through Mist- pale gray she-cat with darker flecks and bright green eyes (Flower) Former prey-hunter

**Ancient Tribe of Rushing Water**

Blaze of Bright Morning Sun- long-furred golden tom with ginger chest, paws, ears, and tail tip with sky blue eyes (Blaze) Cave-guard

Glow of Sky After Storm- sleek pale gray tabby she-cat with golden eyes (Glow) Prey-hunter

Howl of Wolf in Moonlight- dark gray tom with white chest, underbelly, paws, and ear tips and midnight blue eyes (Howl) Prey-hunter

Flake of Falling Snow- long-furred feathery white she-cat with one green eye and one pale blue eyes (Flake) Cave-guard

Splash of Rain on Stone- silver tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes with a tint of violet (Splash) (prey-hunter)


	2. Chapter 1 The Legend

**Okay guys here is the first chapter of "The Golden Warriors"! This chapter isn't the actual chapter, it's more of a long prologue sort of thing. But anyways, I appreciate all of your guys' input for the characters and even though I may have twisted the pelt colors a little bit I made sure to use every single one of your cats' names and almost all of the pelt colors. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you /: But anyways, please read, review, and enjoy!**

**Olympian1999: Okay so your cat was the one who's pelt color I changed the most…but don't worry. I'll make it up to you (: that may sound weird right now, but you'll just have to wait and see!**

**Eclipsesong: Yes they are! And they will be featured in this chapter! I really wanted to get working on my story and you were the first one to submit characters so they got to be the ancient tribe! (:**

I blinked my eyes open and squinted as rays of light poked through the rocks of the cave. I sat upright in my nest and shook my golden and ginger fur, blinking the sleepiness out of my eyes. I saw Splash of Rain on Stone (Splash) asleep in the nest next to me, and I could still feel the tingling sensation on my side where our fur had touched throughout the night. I'd been in love with Splash since we were just to-be's, even though she had been trained as prey hunter and I a cave guard. I would have done anything to train with her, to have gotten her to fall in love with me. But I had been destined to be a cave guard, and nothing else.

But it turns out she had fallen in love with me anyway, and on a midnight walk just a few moons ago she had confessed her feelings for me, and so had I. And now she was bearing my kits, my own flesh and blood. If Mother were alive, she would have been so proud of me.

But something was troubling me. Normally, the only cat who ever spoke to the Tribe of Endless Hunting was Stoneteller, and he goes to the Cave of Pointed Stones to speak with them once a moon. But just two nights ago, _I _had been given a dream from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. The dream was extremely confusing, with a bunch of wisps of cats in ghost like forms swirling around me, murmuring inaudible messages. The one voice said something so clear it rang in my ears afterwards.

"The four will travel until the mountains turn gold, and leave paw prints for others to follow," a voice echoed.

And then my dream ended.

For the past few days the only thing that swarmed my thoughts was this prophecy. Normally the only thing I could think of was Splash, but she had barely drifted into my thoughts recently.

"You're on first shift," Stoneteller said as he saw me get out of my nest.

I nodded and took my post on a crag of rock near the waterfall. The waterfall hid me from view, but I could easily jump down the rocks to get to the ground and fight intruders.

As a cave guard my life wasn't very exciting, and I had a lot of thinking time on my paws. I mean, we rarely got intruders. The occasional wolf or badger or something, but rarely cats and never Twolegs. I loved learning all of the fighting techniques as a to-be, but now that I was a true cave guard it was fairly uninteresting.

But right now I was thankful for the time. It gave me hours on end to think of the prophecy and figure out its meaning. But nothing came to mind. All I knew was four cats were involved in this prophecy, that was obvious. And it seemed as though I was meant to be one of them. But how would I be able to tell who else received this mysterious dream?

And then there was the part where it said the mountains would turn gold. What mountains? Our mountains? Other mountains? And how would they turn gold? It didn't make sense.

And then leave paw prints for others to follow. Did that mean that this prophecy would affect other cats? I wasn't sure.

My thoughts drifted aimlessly as I walked cats exit and enter the cave. To-be's went for training, prey-hunters went to hunt, kit-mothers went for some fresh air, it was simple.

There was one thing I did notice though. Glow of Sky After Storm (Glow) and I had been friends since kithood, and she was one of the most energetic cats I knew. And today she almost sulked as she went with some clanmates to go and hunt. And she returned empty pawed, her face contorted into an expression of pure confusion. I'd have to ask her about that later.

"You're done with your shift today," I turned my head to see Rain That Falls From Sky (Rain) standing at the bottom of the rock ledge, his leg muscles bunched up as he prepared to jump.

I nodded and leaped down, feeling the ache in my legs as I moved them for the first time in hours. I headed into the cave and saw Splash nibbling on a wood pigeon. I walked over to her and she flicked her tail, beckoning me to join her. I hungrily took a bite.

"So how was your shift?" she asked as she swallowed a bite.

"The usual. Nothing to report," I replied," And your hunting?" "Fairly well. Leaf and I caught a small hawk and then I caught a mouse or two," she said.

I purred," What an excellent catch."

She grinned foolishly, and I chuckled at how adorable she was.

To my surprise it was already nearing evening, which irritated me. Being a cave-guard often wasted my whole day. But I was far used to it by now Then I spotted Glow entering the cave by herself, and I ran over to her, remembering that I had seen her earlier.

"Hey Glow," I meowed in greeting.

Glow snapped her head up in fear and then her amber eyes softened when she saw it was just me.

"Oh. Hey Blaze," she softly flicked her tail.

"Is something wrong? I saw you didn't catch any prey today, and you're one of the best hunters in the tribe," I asked.

Glow purred at the compliment," It was just a bad hunting day."

"Are you sure?" I prompted.

Glow groaned and rolled her eyes before pulling me into the shadows so we were hidden.

"Alright Blaze, you can keep a secret…right?" she meowed.

I nodded.

"Well the other night I had a dream. A dream from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. They gave me a prophecy, and it said the four will travel until the mountains turn gold-"

"And leave paw prints for others to follow," I finished and she gaped at me in shock.

"I had the same dream," I answered her question," And I think that means that we are two of the four cats." "Really?" Glow's ears perked in excitement," I thought it meant I was supposed to be the next Stoneteller because I got a message from the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but this is even better!"

"We just need to find the other two cats though," I said.

Glow nodded and was about to leave the shadows when I pulled her back.

"Now you make sure you don't speak of this whatsoever, unless you know for sure who another cat is. Got it?" I said.

Glow nodded furiously and then we split our separate ways. I headed back over to where Splash was and nuzzled her.

"Want to go and watch the sunset and Falcon Rock?" I asked her.

Falcon Rock was a jut of rock off the side of a cliff, and it had the most perfect view of the sunset. From down on the ground it was supposed to look like a falcon's beak, but I had never seen it from that angle. It was a common romantic spot.

Splash nodded and smiled broadly, and I entwined my tail with hers as we walked out of the cave and down the rocky path to Falcon's Rock. We settled down in a patch of grass, or never leaving each other's. We barely paid attention to the sunset, just one another.

"I love you," she murmured, nuzzling into my chest.

"I love you too," I purred and licked the top of my head.

It was silent for a second as we purred.

"Our kits are going to be beautiful you know. And you're going to be a wonderful father," Splash said as she peered down at her slightly enlarged stomach.

"And you will be the world's best mother," I whispered in her ear.

We sat there grooming each other until the sun had almost set. Then we sat there watching the sun finish drowning behind the mountains. Then there was an abrupt bright flash, and I winced at the sudden brightness. But when I turned to look at the sun again I almost gasped in shock.

The mountains were now gold.

Whether it was from the blinding rays of the sun or a message from the Tribe of Endless Hunting, I immediately knew our destination. We had to go to those mountains.

"Don't the mountains look pretty?" I asked Splash.

She turned to look at me quizzically," They look the same as they always do. That pale pinkish blue with the snow clumps at the very top."

"Well yeah," I replied, not mentioning that to me they were a mind-blowing golden yellow," But for some reason they look better. All I know is that when I look at you, nothing could compare."

I somehow turned the awkwardness into a compliment towards her. She purred.

"What do you think we should name the kits?" she said abruptly.

"One should be named Light That Flickers in Cave. I think that's a pretty name," I said.

Splash nodded and added," I've always liked the name Pebble That Ripples in Stream."

"Sounds great. And if there's more, we'll name them then," I told her as the sun completely set behind the mountains, casting a dark shadow of night across our mountain.

"Let's head back to camp," I whispered.

The evening had been highly romantic, and I couldn't help but wish it had lasted longer. Splash curled up in her nest, and I excused myself. I headed over to Dirtplace, and when I was done I started making my way back to the cave. The guards hid in the shadows, and I barely noticed they were there. I was about to lay down in my nest when I heard a gasp and then sudden panting. There was a pair of bright eyes staring straight ahead, and when I saw one was green and the other blue, I immediately knew it was Flake of Falling Snow (Flake), a fellow cave-guard whom I trained with. I padded over to her, and gently rested my tail on her shoulder in comfort. Her head snapped up and her eyes blazed, and then realized it was only me.

"Oh. Blaze. Sorry, I just had a startling dream that I don't think was meant for me," Flake shook her head.

"Really? Like what?" I asked, honestly curious.

"I…I had a dream from the Tribe of Endless Hunting," her voice dropped at the end.

"Was it a prophecy?" I prompted.

She nodded slightly, and I looked her right in the eyes.

"Don't worry Flake, you're not alone. Glow and I have had the same dream. And it means that the three of us along with another cat who had the dream must go to the mountains where the sun sets. It is a quest that they we were destined to go on," I told her.

And with that I walked away, leaving her to her pondering thoughts. I curled up with Splash, and closed my eyes only to have them reopened in what seemed like seconds later. But when they opened, it was light outside, Splash was gone from my side, and Flake was hovering over me.

"I think I know who the other cat is. Howl has been acting jittery all day long," Flake whispered just quiet enough that no one else would hear.

I jerked to my paws and looked around for the gray and white tom. He was casually eating a mouse in the center of the cave, and I saw his paws tremble slightly. Was this our fourth cat? Was our journey about to finally begin?

"Howl, you're shaking!" I commented as I sat down next to him.

Howl looked at me and shook a little more before trying to control himself," N-no of course not!"

I gave him a critical look and Howl gulped.

"Alright I'm shaking a little. I just had a weird night," he said.

"Drama with Dapple?" I prompted, knowing that drama with his crush wasn't the answer, but it would help him spill the truth.

"No. I only wish. I had a dream from the Tribe of Endless Hunting instead. And it's scaring me. I'm just a normal prey-hunter, not the next Stoneteller or anything," he said.

"Don't worry, you're not a Stoneteller. You do have a destiny though. Flake, Glow, you, and I all had the same dream. Wisps of our ancestors, whispering a prophecy to us. It states that the four of us must travel to the mountains where the sun sets, and then figure out from there what we have to do," I explained.

He nodded," I want to do it. I want to part of something special."

"Very well then. We leave at moonhigh tonight. Tell Glow and Flake about it. Don't see goodbye to anyone though, no matter how badly you want to. This must be an anonymous leaving," I ordered.

Howl nodded and then I departed, leaving him to his business.

I tried to spend as much of the day with Splash. Walking around the territory, talking about the kits, explaining our love, grooming each other. I'd miss her silky silver fur, her blue and violet eyes, her sweet voice, her cute, little pink nose. Every single part of her. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd miss me too.

"Why are you spending so much time with me today?" Splash laughed softly as we headed back to camp from another evening at Falcon's Rock.

"What? Is there something wrong with wanting to be with the love of my life?" I purred.

She smiled and shook her head, entwining her tail with mine. Oh how I would miss that feeling.

Splash curled up with me, and I tried to press my fur against her as much as possible, sleeping so close to her it probably looked odd. I rested my nose in her fur, drawing in her sweet scent. Trying to memorize, remember it. Something clenched in my stomach when I thought of leaving her….and our kits. My kits. Unable to meet their father as he traveled on a mysterious long journey. But I would return a hero. And Splash and our kits would be so proud of me. And my legend would live on forever.

"Blaze….I'm so tired…." I heard Glow's pant behind me, but I didn't listen. We were so close. _So close. _I could feel it inside of me.

"Come on Glow. We've made it all the way here. I'm sure no one wants to stop when our goal is only a few tail-lengths ahead of us," Howl comforted her.

Three moons had passed. Three long, treacherous, degrading moons. Three moons of anger, starvation, pain, and loss. And now we were climbing the Mountains of Gold, awaiting whatever laid at the top for us.

On our way I'd met many cats, and my relationships with Howl, Glow, and Flake had grown so immense I knew them better than my own littermates. I knew Flake was in love with me, and I loved her, but not in the way she wanted it. I still thought of Splash…every single moment. I day-dreamed of our now born kits, and to me I imagined them as two girls, named Pebble That Ripples in Stream and Light that Flickers in Cave, just like we had discussed. Pebble was a silver tabby just like her beautiful Mother, but with my sky blue eyes. Light That Flickers in Cave was a black she-cat with Splash's violet and blue eyes. They were beautiful, and every night I dreamed of being back with the Tribe, sitting with Splash and watching our kits play. It made my heart ache, but I was so used to the pain now I barely felt it.

I placed my paws on the top of the ledge and used my now powerful hind legs to climb up. And we were here. _We were here._

I waited for the others to climb up too, and when they did we just stared in shock.

The rocks here were formed into perfect little caves, with a beautiful sandstone clearing right in the center of the area. A waterfall trickled along the side, with flowers blossoming beneath it.

"This is…amazing," Glow breathed. The rest of us were unable to speak.

We stared at the place in awe for a moment, and then Howl shook his head.

"I know this place is great…but _why _are we here! Did we honestly go through this whole thing just to find some scenery?" Howl snarled angrily.

"Relax," Flake told him," The Tribe of Endless Hunting will guide us more. I think we should sleep and see if they visit us in our dreams. Maybe then we will know what to do next." We all nodded sleepily, abruptly realizing how our eyes drooped and our paws felt like stone. We crawled into one of the caves and curled up in the dried leaves there, and fell asleep almost instantly.

"GET UP!" the wail broke through the fantasy of my kits, and my eyes snapped open and I was alert. The cave we had fallen asleep in was empty, and the floor was covered in a few inches of water. I groaned in discomfort and trotted out of the den.

"HELP!" I heard the unmistakable screech of Flake and I saw the three cats stranded in much deeper water, churning helplessly with their paws.

I was unsure of what I was doing, but I plunged into the surging waves. I'd never learned how to swim, and never planned on it. But I knew I'd have to learn _fast_.

Howl was closest to me, but he seemed to be struggling the least. Flake was in grave danger, for her fluffy coat weighed her down considerably. The water moved slowly and we floated through the intricate maze of caves, but I focused on saving my friends first.

I finally got to Flake and I grabbed onto her scruff, and it took a huge effort just to keep both of our heads above water, let alone get us to dry land. Besides the rushing of the waves I heard the sound of rain against rocks, and I immediately thought of Splash. My heart grew soft and I didn't notice that there was a drop-off. The edge of a cliff.

I realized it too late, and I let go of Flake, trying to save myself now. I felt immensely guilty, but I couldn't save the both of us. I tried to swim towards the edge of the rock, and my claws scraped along the rocks, leaving long trailing marks, but I was unable to pull myself up. I heard the desperate scream as Glow fell over the edge and I yelled in pain at the sound. Then there was the ear-splitting scream of Flake, and then Howl's screech. I tried to pull myself up one last time, but failed and only left more claw marks, before I too plummeted over the edge.

I was falling, and it was cold. The wind buffeted through my wet fur as I opened my mouth and let out one last desperate wail. How could the Tribe of Endless Hunting done this to us? We'd traveled all this way, and then they'd just let us die. Drowning over a cliff.

Everything was in slow motion as I fell, and my eyes were closed. Splash was imprinted on the back of my eyelids, so she was the last thing I saw before I joined the ancestors that had betrayed me.

I closed my eyes and let the breeze flit through my silky fur. Salt From the Rushing Sea had just groomed it, and asked me to be his mate afterwards. I promptly refused. Sure, Salt was nice and kind and loyal and he had a good fatherly vibe towards the kits. But he would never be able to take my heart. Blaze had already taken it.

I still vividly remember that morning when I had woken up and Blaze was not at my side. I was not worried, he had probably gone on duty already, or to help train the to-be's. But shifts only last for about half of the day, and when I asked around no one had seen him. Glow, Flake, and Howl were missing as well.

I waited. And waited. And waited. But with no prevail. I went out to Falcon's Rock each evening, knowing that if he ever returned he would look for me here first. I had hope. I had faith.

When my three beautiful kits were born, it was obvious what they would be named. One was a sleek golden and ginger tom, but with my violet and blue eyes. I named him Blaze of Emotion in Heart, because that's how I felt about his Father. I always called him Little Blaze though, because I couldn't ever manage to say his Father's name without my breath stopping and tears welling up in my eyes.

I named the other two kits Light That Flickers in Cave and Pebble That Ripples in Stream, just as we had said.. Pebble was a silver tabby she-cat with sky blue eyes, and Light was a fluffy dark gray she-cat with large, yellow eyes. I loved them more than anything.

All of three of my kits knew that I would sit out here on Falcon's Rock, but the reason they were unsure of. I never told them the truth about their Father, and they often suspected it was Salt. This was not true, but I let them believe it.

The sun was setting slowly behind the mountains, and I remembered Blaze's remark one night that the mountains looked beautiful. The top of the mountain was currently covered in dark storm clouds, but the rest of the rocks abruptly turned a dazzling gold. I squinted at the sudden brightness, and blinked a few times, believing I was hallucinating. But I wasn't. The mountains were gold, but that wasn't the end of it.

I saw wisps of clouds coming from the mountains, and at first it looked like fog. But then as the mist grew closer, it began to form into the shape of a cat. The wisps grew closer until the ghost-like cat was standing right next to me. I recognized it as Flake, with her fluffy pelt and bright multicolored eyes. She gently rested her tail on my shoulder before running off behind me, and into the dark sky. I whipped my head around to stare at the mountains again, and another foggy cat was running towards me. This time it was my friend, Glow. She sat next to me, and whispered," Let the Tribe of Endless Hunting watch over you." Then she too, ran off into the darkness.

I felt the tears forming in my eyes when I saw my brother Howl coming out from the mist next. When he appeared I pressed my pelt against his, and he licked my ear and said," Live forever in happiness, my sweet sister." Then he too was gone.

I bit back a cry of pain and rejoice when I saw Blaze's unmistakable figure appearing from the mountains. He approached me and we nuzzled fiercely.

"I love you Blaze," I whispered, tears spilling over from my eyes and my breaths came in frantic sobs.

"I love you too Splash. More than any other cat has ever loved before. But the Tribe of Endless Hunting has brought us separate ways. I will always be looking out for you and our kits, until time itself ends," he whispered to me, licked my forehead, and then raced off into the stars, taking my heart with him.

**I really hope all of you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now I am currently in the midst of writing the next chapter, but I still want at least 3-5 reviews before I post it! (: Thanks again for everyone's support!**


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